Does seeing an ex on social media make it harder to move on?

Does seeing an ex on social media make it harder to move on?

Many people observe ex-partners while scrolling through their social media feeds, but it’s not clear if this interferes with breakup recovery.

In four studies based on 762 participants, Marshall found that people who deliberately searched for information about an ex-partner on social media reported greater breakup distress, negative emotions, and jealousy. People who unintentionally observed an ex-partner – e.g., by continuing to follow them on Instagram and seeing their stories – also reported more negative emotions. These findings suggested that unfollowing, muting, or blocking an ex-partner may help people to heal from a breakup.